This week we said "goodbye" on this side of eternity to one of the best friends I've ever had. By that, I don't mean someone I spent tons of time with or really shared a lot in common - but rather, someone who invested more in me than most - and I am eternally grateful. I was honored to speak at his memorial service. Here is a portion of the remarks I shared.
I learned very early in my life to choose my companions carefully. The scripture says that those who walk with the wise become wise themselves, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. I am so thankful I was fortunate enough to walk with the wisdom I found in a friendship with Ricky Wyatt. I met Ricky at a time in his life when he had just placed his faith in Christ and was looking to rebound from some serious setbacks in life. His greatest concern was to serve theLord and lead his family. Nothing was more important to him that that.
Ricky was the very first volunteer with our youth ministry when I moved to Lafayette in 1986. He had three young children in tow and they soon became the youth group mascots! The youth group loved Ricky! He was so much fun. I can still see him all these years later, chatting it up with kids at a table at Burger Time, making them laugh putting French Fries up his nose. He was a match maker - some of you married couples here are together today because Ricky pointed you out to one another. He was a bringer! He brought so many teenagers into our youth ministry. Just this week I heard from a lady who has spent the last 25 years in a ministry that rehabilitates women suffering with addiction. Ricky led her to the Lord in the late 80’s. We had a vision night with all our volunteers this past Sunday. We were casting vision for some renovations we are wanting to do to our Next Gen building next door. To provide a visual for what we want to achieve, we printed out over a thousand children’s faces and placed them on every seat of the risers here in the auditorium. I had our volunteers turn and look into that sea of faces and informed them that we have had over a thousand kids visit our church for one service and not come back over the past 18 months. Then we talked about the things we need to do to bring them back. As I was putting those faces on all those chairs I kept thinking of Ricky and how many faces he has brought to our church through the years!
When I met Ricky, I was newly married and Ricky was careful to instruct me to put my wife first and serve her needs and interests above my own. His children were the most well behaved, intelligent, loving kids I had ever been around and I began to inquire right away what the secret to that success was. The things Ricky shared with me became the pattern that Donna and I would eventually follow to raise two well behaved, intelligent loving kids of our own. Megan, Rhett, Lacy - he loved you so much! You were his pride and joy! Every time we talked - and we’ve literally had hundreds of visits - you were always part of the conversation. He adored you. He loved his grandchildren as well! His love and pride over you guys was the subject of many conversations as well!
Back when we first met, Ricky really longed to share his life with someone and it became something we prayed about together. When God brought “Blondie” into his life, he was smitten and let me know, “One day I am going to wake you up in the middle of the night and have you perform a wedding!” Sure enough, on April 6, 1990, about 1:00 o’clock in the morning, Ricky and Carol woke us up and asked us to perform their wedding, right there in our living room. We got up, put on a suit and tied the knot! There are so many things in this life that demonstrate the wonder and wisdom of God - one of those things is how he brings two people together who are just right for each other. That was certainly true of Ricky and Carol. Two very unique individuals who complemented each other so well! We have enjoyed dinners together, baseball games, ski trips and more.
He loved the outdoors and the hunting camp became his favorite hide away. He wasn’t so much into hunting as he was into the camp, the company of his friends and the coffee. He used to carry a coffee cup from a popular gas station with him so he could go and in a get a refill in the same cup he had been carrying for 3 years!
One of my favorite memories of Ricky was a camping trip he arranged for me and David Baudoin. If you know Ricky, that campsite was immaculate. Everything had its place and was orderly, comfortable and efficient. We spent the weekend riding 4-wheelers and had one of the best times of our lives! When we got back to camp we were muddy, hungry and tired. Ricky prepared a great meal and we sat around the campfire talking about the day in comfy camp chairs. It was a cool fall night. Baudoin had on a beanie and before we knew it he was sleeping in his camp chair. If you’re not aware, Ricky liked to pull pranks. He passed this trait on to his son! Ricky had a shotgun in his truck and got it, creeped up behind sleeping David and fired off a round. David jumped up and for whatever reason, associated that loud bang with the beanie on his head! He literally clawed furrows on his forehead trying to get it off! We laughed for days about that one.
Ricky had a way of firing off those shots in all of our lives from time to time. He had a way about him. Difficult conversations weren’t so difficult for him. He had a grace to wade into a topic with you and lay out the wisdom God had given him in such a way it would wake you up - sober you. Get you thinking straight again. It is one of the things I will miss most about him. Ricky served on our board of directors here at Crossroads for a number of years and was always a sounding board for me when I was trying to make a decision about something. I will truly miss walking with the wisdom of this wonderful friend.
